


Hidden In Plain Sight Remastered

by dedicatedwriter21



Category: Bleach
Genre: Child Abuse, Childhood Friends, Coming of Age, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Politics, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:22:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24654529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dedicatedwriter21/pseuds/dedicatedwriter21
Summary: When Tōshirō Hitsuguya returns with Delilah Ukitake to the soul society, he has no idea what he is about to unleash. In fact, no one in the soul society quite knows it either. Or do they? Spells, swords and secrets, enter a world on the pinnacle of change, but is it for better or for worse?
Relationships: Aizen Sousuke/Original Female Character(s), Ichimaru Gin/Original Female Character(s), Ukitake Juushirou/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. A Mother's Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote and finished this story years ago. I have learnt and improved a lot as a writer since then. I uploaded it on another site and wonder what reaction I would get here. I will upload little by little as the rewrites are finished, I hope you enjoy it.

She was seven. She was sleeping sound until something woke her up. It had her sitting up in bed. Every ounce of her being was on the highest alert. She could feel it, something was wrong, very very wrong. She was hesitant to rise from her bed. She moved over to her wardrobe in a series of plods. There she took a white dressing robe which she slipped over her pink and white frilly pyjamas. She then put her feet into her fluffy slippers. She was slow, methodical almost. Her senses were on the highest alert. Yes, she understood it now, an enemy had penetrated her home. And that's when she realised it, her mother was in peril, grave peril.

She swung her door open with one deliberate push. She flew down the stairs as quick as she could with her long curly white hair billowing behind her. Once on the ground floor, she pushed her way into the living room. And before she could even consider opening the sliding glass doors to the gardens, she saw her mother. She was kneeling on the cold hard ground outside. It was fear that gripped the young child. It was fear that paralysed her making her unable to run to her mother's rescue.

An eerie silence took over for a few seconds and then they appeared. Three monsters materialised each donning the tell-tell masks of hollows. Everything was telling her to run to her mother, to shield her, to fight for her. Her mother was in danger, and that was when her mother turned to look at her and screamed: "Run Delilah, hide!'

Yet before she could heed the warning, escape the scene, she met the most horrendous sight. Three tall and high in spirit pressure monsters plunged forward to attack her mother. That is when Delilah's body started to shake, and still, she could not move. She could only watch.

These monsters they plunged forward. They devoured her mother as if she were nothing more than fresh meat. Little by little her mother's spiritual pressure grew smaller and smaller before disappearing. Tears soon blighted Delilah after that. They cascaded down her cheeks as she saw her mother's lifeless body crumpled to the ground. Then the pain overtook the fear, movement returned to her limbs. She then turned her back on the scene and she ran. She ran back up the stairs and back to her room. She hoped to hide, fearing that those monsters would return...for her.

When she entered her room, she collapsed to the ground. Her whole body starting shaking as she started to retch and retch. Her mother's death played in her mind again and again. The shaking did not stop nor did the pained tears that continued down her face. Her dear sweet Mama had perished and now her fate hung in the balance.

Delilah was soon closing her eyes. She was soon pushing herself into a nearby wall. A defensive ball was all she manage right now. Memories of her beautiful mother flooded her mind.

She saw her mother's curly auburn hair that fell down to her hips. Her indigo eyes were the feature Delilah loved the most, she had inherited them. Her mother's breasts were perfect. Meanwhile, her usual array of kimonos always made her mother appear regal. Her smile was what she loved the most, that warm smile. It was what Delilah always longed to see on her mother's face as that way, she knew things were alright.

"Mama..." she sobbed. And soon after that, her body fell into a heap on the ground. Sleep came easy, but it was not comfortable, not by a long shot.

…………

When Delilah woke, she shot up, the sun blared through her curtain. She clambered to her feet, dizzy and aching. She then heard it, a group of voices from the garden below. Then it hit her like an arrow, everything from the night before. Her mother slain by those monsters.

She made her way out of her room, slow in her effects to do so. The spiritual pressures coming from the garden below felt somewhat familiar. For a moment she wondered, had they come. Had her guardians come to her rescue. Had they come to escort her mother's soul to the other side and be in peace?

Soon she was opening those sliding glass doors to the back garden. This time she was not overcome by fear. And she felt relieved to not be alone.

They were there. They stood around her mother's body. Each other them wore a white kosode, a black kimono, a black hakama and a white obi sash. The woman among them had large breasts and curly ginger hair. The other had short black hair. The third was bald. The fourth one though was the smallest one between them. Delilah's tutoring would state that he was important. He wore that special white cloak. Her guardians would tell her that he held the most power out of the four of them there. All the while they stood around her mother's lifeless body.

"How odd? So much spiritual pressure. I was certain that she was an exiled soul reaper. She had captain level power."

Delilah stared at this small boy, the one with white spiky hair. Her hands occupied by the act of twirling her hair. She had heard about the soul society from her mother, from her guardians. But Delilah knew that her mother was too delicate to have any proper association with them. Then she registered a new feeling blossoming in her, anger. Had that captain implied that her mother was a criminal? She had never been bound by the laws of the soul society.

Thoughts overtook her and then she took a step back. Four pairs of eyes now rested on her. The smallest boy though, he was standing close to her now that she could feel his breathing.

"And who might you be that you can see us?" he asked her in a gruff tone, causing her to squirm in discomfort.

She glanced towards her mother's body. Her mind tried to dig up the information needed to handle this sort of situation. She should know this, she should.

"What's your name little one?" This time it was that woman who had spoken. Delilah then recalled how her mother had given her one clear instruction. Use her father's name. She had never met or even seen her father. But still...

"I'm..." she began to stutter. "I'm Delilah Ukitake"


	2. Her True Form

Everyone was staring at her. Everyone was making Delilah feel hot and sweaty. She was not accustomed to this sort of attention. Something had changed now. As soon as she had said her father's name, the situation had changed. These people saw her as important. Their staring was off-putting, only that ginger-haired lady made her feel at ease. She still gave her that warm sincere smile. The small captain made her feel the most self-conscious. He eyed her like a concerned adult and a curious child. His eyes though were so piercing that it made her want to run away. And that's when that small important boy moved to her side.

It was only a momentary reflex, but she saw him reach inside his belt and remove a blade. She saw his hilt. She tried to react to pull away as he pressed it up to her forehead. 

For a moment, everything went black. During that split second, it was as if many wires had snapped away from her. Then she woke up to feel that she was on the floor. She felt cold and naked, very vulnerable. Then she dared to open her eyes to see four curious faces looking down on her. She didn't know if she should scream or to cry. But her mother was dead. 

"How interesting?“

Delilah cocked her head in confusion. "A true baby soul" 

She then noticed what seemed like her very own body double shoved to the side. She looked down at her form. She twisted and turned her hands. She was wearing a white kimono now. Before she had looked seven, now she had regressed to the size of a near three-year-old. In her confusion, she started to cry as she couldn't comprehend what was occurring. 

"An infant soul forced to migrate into an unstable gigai and age like a human, this is a serious offence" 

Delilah continued to cry. Soon she was reassuming her curled up in a defensive position. They were talking over her, not sure about what though.

"Mama...Mama...I want my Mama" 

"We have no choice we'll have to return to the soul society and take her with her" 

Something in her snapped. She realised that their words meant that she was leaving her mother behind. She crawled towards her mother's body to crying.

"Why don't you go back to where you came from?" she hissed at them. She wanted her mother to embrace her, assure her that everything will be alright. But before she could even touch her mother's body, her hands merely passed through. That's when she started to scream. What...what was going on? 

"Rangiku...quickly before any nearby hollows sense her fluctuating spiritual pressure." Suddenly someone came up behind her. A hand on her mouth as she was hoisted into a pair of arms. Then she felt very uncomfortable, and she elevated her spiritual pressure in self-defence. 

"Baby soul, calm yourself, you are now in the guardianship of the Seireitei" 

She had kicked up a fuss. She had screamed. Then the spiritual pressure squashed hers down. That's when the world around her went dark. And that’s when she found herself falling right back to sleep.

... 

Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya and his squad had received a memo. Three menos grande had appeared in the living world. He had an inkling that it had more to do with the incredible amount of spiritual pressure instead. It was in the precipice world that he realised it. 

As he and his squad walked through the precipice world, he realised that it was not the mother but the child. She had been the one with all that spiritual pressure. No matter now, she was in their custody. They would take her back to the soul society where she would be safe. They would need to confirm her parentage first. 

Could this child actually belong to Captain Ukitake? He didn't know that the thirteen division captain had sired a child. The girl had given the name Ukitake, how had she known that name?

Across his time as a student and then as a captain, he had never had the privilege of seeing a baby soul. They usually came from the noble clans. As far as he knew though, they were usually hidden away until academy age. They were precious beings, so why was this girl in the world of the living. 

Now, most souls in the soul society came from the human world, but not baby souls. How had she been all this time in the living world without detection? How did her existence evade the main channels?

A small smile appeared on his face as he continued to observe the tiny soul baby. There were very strict laws when it came to baby souls. They had to be placed in the guardianship of nobility. They needed a delicate hand, due to their unstable spiritual pressure and their rarity.

His squad members were silent with everything that had taken place. Who would become the guardian of this traumatised baby soul? Jūshirō Ukitake might not be her biological father for one. He might not even want to assume those responsibilities. 

"Captain we have arrived" 

They passed then all passed through the gateway. The light that came upon doing so was almost blinding. They continued to move through it, though, as on the other side was the Seireitei. Then the gate closed and the captain found himself surrounded by the rest of his squad. Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the baby soul he was carrying. 

"She's so cute...I bet she'll become a soul reaper...I bet she'll be a fine little lady..." These were only some of the comments which had made by his subordinates. And then his lieutenant asking the most defining question of them all. 

"What's going to happen to her now"He eyed the tiny soul and repeated what he knew to be the procedure. "Our first task is to deliver her to the Research and Development unit" His squad became silent. "There they will conduct a paternity test and that will determine her fate" 


	3. Confirmed Bloodlines

Placed onto the surgical bed was none other then the tiny baby soul Delilah. This was a special sort of bed, one placed in a pod. Wires connected it to a machine that monitored everything from her life form to her DNA structure. The human world lacked such technology. They lacked Captain Kurotsuchi who headed the department of research and development. This pod permitted the conduction of many tests without the need for needles. Captain Hitsugaya knew this. This is why he had brought her here, needles could not blemish her pure white skin to make her spill her sacred blood. Rangiku, third person there, had reminded him of that.

"Curious...how very curious...". Captain Kurotsuchi stated. Both he and Captain Hitsugaya had their eyes on the screen and the data coming up on it. The two of them had instigated the pod' slumber mood, it was best to keep the child sleeping for this. The pod also served as a full body scanner, of course. The more dense the rays, the more accurate the results. This was one of the surest and least invasive ways to determine if the child was on noble blood or not.

Half an hour was what it took for the head medic database to match the results. The typical image of a helix diagram sprung up. There were arrows on this diagram pointing to certain sections. These sections had their own menus going through the hundreds of thousands of souls present in the database. Then two image placeholders came up. The left side would reveal the mother, the right, the father.

A bleeping sound then came. The placeholder for mother remained black with 'Unknown'. Pity, Tōshirō would have wanted to know who that woman had been. The placeholder for father gave more promising results, a picture of Jūshirō Ukitake. Then there were more details, including her spiritual pressure levels resembling that of a captain. Jūshirō Ukitake was powerful, one of the oldest captains. The only information that came up about the child's mother was her spiritual pressure levels. It had been even above the head captain. Thus Captain Hitsugaya wondered how the child had stayed hidden over all these years.

"She is truly of aristocrat blood..." Captain Hitsugaya announced, and then he looked back at the pod and smiled. "She wasn't lying when she identified herself as Delilah Ukitake"

"No..." the masked captain spoke. "...let us hope that Captain Ukitake will be willing to take on his new responsibility"

Then all hell broke loose. The pod began to screech and bleep, the lights went haywire. The three present watched as the child's body began to glow white. And then her body began to hover, it was Rangiku who jumped up, horrified.

"She's waking up...she's waking up..." It was Rangiku who spoke up.

The captains hurried towards the pod to see two indigo eyes open. The owner of those eyes then opened her mouth to scream and scream. The entire research chamber started to shake at that. Rangiku was the one who stepped up. She was the one who placed her hand against the pod. She was the one who tapped into her motherly mode.

"There now little one, there's no need to panic...!"

…………

Byakuya Kuchiki had many traits. He was controlling, cold and determined to keep his status within the soul society. He had inherited the clan head title along with the captaincy of the sixth division. Many had viewed him as hard, unyielding with no compassion, then he married Hisana. Hisana had been a woman from the Rukkon district, she had had no station. Then he adopted Rukia into his clan too. Many viewed him as cold but some considered that he might have a heart.

Byakuya Kuchiki had the power and now he wanted to use it to do more good. A baby soul was a rarity especially one with noble blood. He knew he wouldn't sire his own children, so she could become his heir instead. She could continue the Kuchiki legacy. He no longer had to search for an orphan from the human world with high spiritual pressure.

He had dropped all paperwork when he heard of her arrival. A baby soul...with Ukitake aristocratic blood, that was unheard of! Formalities dictated that the biological father get first refusal, but she was too rare to pass up. He would go to the child, see him for himself. His connections would be enough to bring the child into a more prominent noble clan.

He snapped out of his thoughts. That spiritual pressure, it hit him hard, it made his hair and his robes rise up. That's when he turned his attention to the Division twelve building, that's when he went from stridding to running.

Entering the building came with his ears assaulted by a scream. It was heartbreaking, almost as if the individual was in pain or terrified or both. It did not take him long to force his way into the analysis chamber. There he saw the most brilliant sight.

There was an inspection pod. There were wires and then monitors too. But what Byakuya considered the most important was the glowing figure within. He turned towards the side of the pod, there lay knocked out two captains and a lieutenant. Protocol would have said to assist them, he didn't care, he headed to the child. He was the one who pushed the button. He was the one who lifted the distressed child out.

He kept her steady, he winced at her ear bleeding screaming. He wasn't supposed to do this, he wasn't supposed to raise his spiritual pressure against her. That might cause her permanent harm. It was either her safety or Byakuya's ears at that point.

Then it happened, her ear piercing screams dissipated and the glowing ceased. Byakuya could not help after that to observe the child. She would come up to his knee in height. Her skin remained unblemished, that was a good thing. Her hair was wavy and white. Then her eyes opened to reveal curiosity, and Byakuya was most taken back by their indigo colour. He then spoke to her in a soft sort of way:

"Why hello there...little one..."


	4. Ukitake Is Informed

Drinking sake. Now that was a common outlet for many captains and their squad members. That was no less true for the captains of the eighth and the thirteenth divisions. Though whenever they went, they preferred to occupy a private room. There they could reminisce about the olden days without the young ones hero-worshipping them. Sometimes the two best friends simply wanted to indulge in some free time. Sometimes they wanted to drink. Captaincy and nobility made both things difficult. Those one captain would soon have much less free time with a baby soul due to come into his life. 

"Killing hollows. Helping the humans pass into the soul society and enjoying the simplicities of life is what we as soul reapers truly adore." Shunsui Kyōraku slurred as his face turned red and he slurped greedily on the sake. His friend Jūshirō was beginning to slip into the alcohol-induced relaxation too. But unlike his friend, he never completely lost control, he couldn't afford too. Someone had to carry Shunsui back to his barracks when he was drunk to the world.

"Really...is that all we aristocratic soul reapers have to look forward to?" Captain Ukitake asked with a forlorn tone. 

His friend turned his face towards him and asked him what was on his mind: 

"You seem a little melancholy dear friend" 

Jūshirō continued to sigh but he responded as best he could: 

"I don't know what it is, but I've always felt as if something precious was missing in my life" 

Their musing then came to a sudden halt. A black hell butterfly entered their quiet space. The announcement came soon after. 

"Captain Ukitake is to make his way immediately to the Central 46...Captain Ukitake is to make his way immediately to the Central 46..." 

Jūshirō continued to indulge on the sake and the hell butterfly spoke again: 

"Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, head of Ukitake family and the 13th division...you are to make your way immediately to Central 46..." 

This time it was so loud, the two captains were sure the whole establishment heard it. Jūshirō rose to his feet, swaying a little. He could hear the other guests of the establishment starting to emerge from their own rooms.

"Oh wow it must be important if they transmitted the message to everyone..." the white-haired captain laughed nervously. He turned his head to Shunsui. His dark-haired friend was giving him an interesting sort of look.

"Who knows old friend, this may be your chance to make something of your life. Maybe even pass on your legacy."

...............

Jūshirō frowned. He did not think his secret desire could actually be fulfilled. 

As he made his way through, the young ones greeted him with bows and smile. Though some were giving him these sideways glances. If he did not know it any better they were judging him for something. Jūshirō knew he might not be the healthiest of captains but he did always try his best. He knew that some muttered behind his back. But he would hold his head up high and show them that he did these despite his lingering childhood illness. 

...............

As he made his way through the conglomerate of home belong to the soul reapers, the staring increased. There were hundreds of eyes following him. It became more obvious the closer he came to Central 46. Jūshirō Ukitake was the kind captain that the child loved, being the centre of attention came with that. But now this attention was making him feel more and more uncomfortable.

It seemed as if the closer he came to the building, the more soul reapers he could see eyeing him and judging him. He was beginning to wonder if, for some reason or another, they knew the full extent of why he was being summoned. And that was when true worry had set in. Had he committed some serious offence?

He then entered the darkroom. All the council members were sat behind their usual screens. His attention diverted to the small desk at their feet, there stood the informant. They would have some answers.

The informant acknowledged his presence by slamming a stack of papers into his hands. Then one of the council members spoke. Curiosity and confusion came at what they said next.

"Jūshirō Ukitake, this morning in the living world more specifically Karakura Town Captain Hitsugaya and his squad members were there to deal with exterminating a handful of Menos Grande, however when they arrived at their destination they were instead meet with a dead soul and her daughter who we have now confirmed to be a true baby soul by the name of Delilah Ukitake..." 

Captain Ukitake opened up the stack of paper at that. The information within made his whole world come to a standstill. There was a clear cut photograph of a slumbering female. She was a baby soul with hair as white as his. Sudden joy was what hit him when he saw her. 

"After two hours of careful investigation, the Captain Kurotsuchi has managed to identify at least one of this baby soul's parents..." 

Jūshirō turned his attention back to the council members at that. Their words went onto confirm everything.

"...through the DNA Helix test, we have established that you are the biological father of this baby soul."

But Jūshirō was soon toon enthralled by the photography. He ran his hand along with the place of the little girl's face. After that, he turned and left the chamber. He needed to get to her as soon as possible. There were calls for him to return. He did not have time for their sermon. This pack was all he needed to claim that child. He did not care to hear the snide remarks about a renegade soul reaper tricking him into fatherhood. But she had been no renegade... He knew exactly who the mother had been. It was why he was so determined to get to his daughters. He knew it would not be long until the other nobles came sniffing. Neither one of them would pass up the opportunity to have an heir with his power, his blood. He would not give them that chance. 


	5. Kuchiki vs Hitsugaya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I got my first kudos, thank you Queen_of_Avalon!
> 
> To the readers that bookmarked this story, I hope you stick around :)

Byakuya had always known. The living world, that was where he would find a child, a baby soul, an heir. And now that he had said child in the safety of his arms, he did not want to let her go.  He had proven that he could care for others by adopting Rukia and guiding her to reach her greatest potential . He had created a bond with her and he was sure he could the same thing with this child. It did not matter whether they shared blood or not. The child already seemed to be in awe of him.

Byakuya knew who the child's father was, which captain. Her white hair made that more than obvious. The intelligent look that she bore intrigued him. But what Byakuya found shocking was that Jūshirō Ukitake had actually lain with a woman and begot a child. He had always though that the thirteenth division captain was gay.

"Who...who are you?" the child queried him in a raspy voice. He continued to smile and responded in a warm voice:

"I am Byakuya Kuchiki"

The child lifted on of her hands and he closed his eyes as they came in contact with each other. He could feel it, her residual spiritual pressure. It was strong, even if Byakuya made sure not to overwhelm her with his own power.

Then he opened his eyes. She was giving him this warm smile. She was feeling comfortable with him, good... He would take this slow, trust would be paramount.

Their silence ended. Three groans came. It was from the other soul reapers, the ones knocked out by the child's spiritual pressure.

The sixth division captain sneered at them. How weak the ten division leadership was. Then again neither it's captain nor it's lieutenant where of noble blood. And they had been the ones to bring this child back, how disgraceful. It should have been someone like him do care out such an important duty.

Captain Hitsugaya regained consciousness first. He jumped to his feet, and in a flash step, he moved close to Byakuya and the child. Byakuya did not appreciate the judgemental look present in the young captain's eyes.

"Captain Kuchiki...I would strong  advise  you to return the child to the bed, you are out of place with your affections"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. This spitfire dared to ordered him around. But he could not argue, this child was not his, yet... So he returned her to the bed.

"Leave before you implicate yourself in some serious political affairs" Captain Hitsugaya added.

After that all Byakuya did was grant the child with a warm smile. She was already mesmerised with him. She had calmed because of him. If Ukitake did not come to claim her, he would.

...............

Jūshirō hovered between absolute happiness and utter despair. Fear and pride was what he felt when learning that he was a parent. He had never considered marriage. He had never expected to have children. Did he want a child? But if he didn't claim her, the other captains would sneer at him for it. He was the kind captain, the one who loved child, rejecting his own child was not even an option. But would he cope with such a responsibility.

As he made his way through the streets which made up the great spectrum which was the Seireitei. He now understood why he was the centre of attention. If he was like Kenpachi, he would have likely blown up to be one of the last to learn about his child.

So he hurried to the twelfth division. He was a peaceful soul, but he had a horrible feeling. A baby soul was rare. How many soul reapers and nobles would be baying for such a trophy? He shuddered. Because of his sickness many viewed him as incapable. No matter, he would prove himself. He would be a redeemable father despite his sort comings. He would prove that he could raise this baby soul to make sure she did not turn into a destructive force. That was always the danger with baby souls...

After what seemed like hours, he arrived. He had seen the photographs. She looked like him. But would was she like a person, how much would he be able to mould her? Jūshirō knew that he would have to establish boundaries with her. He could not afford for the Seireitei to see him as weak. He would claim her as heiress, that was the only way other noble clans could not interfere.

...............

Byakuya and Tōshirō were currently engaged in a full on staring match. For the past hour, Tōshirō had tried every way to push Kuchiki out of the facility. The noble and the baby soul were already bonding. He had to stop this. He may have respect for the other captains but he had more for Jūshirō Ukitake. Tōshirō still had no idea how that captain had had a child in the first place. No matter, he would defend Ukitake's right to be a father.

He would get Kuchiki out of the way:

"Leave now, you are invading on Captain Ukitake's property..." Byakuya narrowed his eyes and he saw the inquisitive eyes of the child.

"I will leave now. The child I will take with me." He told the furious younger captain with a steady tone. Their growing confrontation was  suddenly  interrupted with the opening of the door.

"I am sure that both options are quite unnecessary" came another voice.

Delilah, still in shock, Byakuya, Tōshirō, Rangiku and Mayuri all stopped in their tracks. They turned their attention towards the soul reaper who had entered. He was wearing the traditional outofg to the captain of thirteenth division. Whilst his long white hair fell  gracefully  to his waistline.

There was no doubt about it, he had arrived, Captain Jūshirō Ukitake had arrived. Byakuya had lost any claim. He had not more rights in the presence of the child's biological father. The law now defended Ukitake.


End file.
